A grolar bear called Cocoa
by TheManMadeGodUp
Summary: Cocoa has been Charlie's neighbor for a few days now, but everything changes when she meets her own kind, and doesn't fit in at all.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The howling winds surged through the blackened forest as heavy rain fell, causing inevitable floods amongst the dampened ground. It wasn't an easy life being so primal, but one could get used to it just by making the best of everything; always knowing that they were still alive. This was the life of a grolar bear named Cocoa - a wild spirit that roamed free through the forests of San Francisco, living off of nothing but what she saw in front of her, nature and all of its' beauty, and the unpredictable weathers that came before her.

She didn't even know what San Francisco was.

Her primal ignorance didn't deter her as she rose from the clear, yet cold lake whilst searching for some fish, having no luck for the first time in a while. She felt hopeless as she got out of her favorite lake, her fur a mix between brown and white, but when wet turning a deep tan color. There were usually a lot of things to eat at night, but the storm cruelly washed everything away. Cocoa sat against a tree on a hill, sighing.

"Is there any hope out there?" She stood up, calling to the foggy sky. "I need a miracle; something, anything!"

As the muddy hill gave way unto her feet, she found herself sliding down a long, winding slope; a real muddy adventure. It was a step up from the horrible day of no food and the incessant fighting against intruders, claiming her spot as queen of the forest once and for all. However, Cocoa still felt there was something missing, she lived her life in somber isolation for as long as she could remember, never thinking that there would be any different; it was a strange comfort that only she could understand. As she got up, not so gracefully brushing the mud away from her fur, she walked around the forest, trying to find a place to sleep for the night, but there was no luck. All hope was lost again, the forest was playing tricks on her.

"What are you waiting for?" Cocoa called out to the empty atmosphere, wandering around aimlessly. "Do what you will to me, I don't care anymore!" A sudden bump scared her, quelling her frustration.

"Watch where you're going!" She said, making a fist. "Don't make me tear you to shreds."

She looked up, the creature she bumped into was way taller than she could have imagined, causing her to feel fear, but she'd never show it. The creature was almost invisible in this dark forest, which was almost ideal since intruders would come in at anytime. Cocoa noticed his big feet and the realization hit her so suddenly.

"You're the legendary monster!" She exclaimed. "The one that never comes out at all."

He called himself Charlie, and didn't like to be thought of as a monster; he was just a happy creature that preferred the isolation - something that Cocoa could relate to. Charlie sat down and talked to her, hitting it off with the grolar bear with the wall around her heart; he couldn't believe that either.

"I've seen you around before," Charlie said. "That must have been a wild ride!" Cocoa looked at her muddied self, feeling proud.

"I've conquered rain, snow, mud and all," She said. "It was very fun, but what do you want with me anyway?"

"I see how you protect the forest," Charlie said. "The way you chased those humans away that one time was so cool!" Cocoa loosened up, feeling accomplished. It had always been her mission to protect her home; to be recognized was an honor.

"Thanks," She said. "I must go and find somewhere to sleep for the night."

"Why don't you come with me?" Charlie said. "I could always use a new neighbor!" Cocoa was a little hesitant, but it was only for one night. She would be back to her nomadic self in no time.

"Sure."

As the night waned on, Cocoa found a nice cave not far from Charlie and the myriad of other animals that inhabited his part of the forest. After spending time with every animal, tediously getting to know each other, Cocoa said goodnight to Charlie and found a home in her cave, thankful for some rest at last.

"Finally, it's all over," Cocoa said, staring at the dark cave's glorious interior. "Why would I need friends anyway?"


	2. A new encounter

**A new encounter**

In a cave unlike any other, there were all the comforts of a human home, things that were not typical of bears to have. These were very unconventional, but the three bears living together didn't think about it that much; they just lived on brotherly love.

"No! My internet girlfriend broke up with me again!"

Panda looked at his phone for yet another time, his eyes beginning to strain. This was the fifteenth internet ex that he had so far. Ever since he and Lucy took a break, he went back to his beloved world of the net, searching for fish in the teeming waters of online dating, having no luck.

"Don't worry, Pan-Pan," Grizz said, sitting on the couch and preparing to watch the latest action movie he just bought. "She wasn't right for you anyway, now let's watch this thing!"

"I don't want too," Panda said. "I'm not in the mood."

Right before Ice bear could walk in with a bowl of popcorn, Charlie made his most signature entrance to the cave by breaking through the window once again, but this time he brought a guest with him.

"Hey guys!" Charlie said, the bears were used to his presence at this point.

"Hey Charlie," Grizz said, welcoming him in. "We were just about to watch the latest _Black bear_ movie. It has so many good reviews!"

"Ice bear is excited to watch bear movie." He put the popcorn down and sat next to Panda, who still couldn't get over his internet ex.

"That's great," Charlie said. "But I wanted you guys to meet my new neighbor."

The bears were excited, but put off at the same time. Charlie had so many wonderful neighbors, it seemed like he didn't need another one. Everything was going great until Cocoa punched through the front door, abrasive as usual and her primal instincts showing proudly.

"Charlie," She said. "I got tired of waiting, who are we seeing today?"

She stopped in her tracks when she saw the bears. Finally, there were animals that were just like her, but they seemed strange, a little too friendly. Cocoa was so sure that they wouldn't have lasted a day in the forest, but she approached them anyway, trying not to act in her normal, awkward ways.

"Hi, I'm Cocoa."

"Sup," Grizz said, trying to play it cool. "I'm Grizz, and these are my brothers!"

"Panda."

"Ice bear."

"These are my best friends," Charlie said. "I don't know what I'd do without them, what do you think?" Cocoa scoffed, she didn't need friendship, she was tired of this silly idea being shoved in her face; her guard was up.

"These are supposed to be brothers?" She asked Charlie. "They're three different bears."

Grizz looked shocked. To him, it didn't matter if they were different, he, Panda, and Ice bear were brothers no matter what. He wasn't going to let some bear that he's never seen tell him otherwise.

"No wait just a minute!" He exclaimed, Panda stood with him, suddenly getting over his internet girlfriend and caring about his family more. "No one talks about my brothers like that."

"Yeah," Panda said. "Stop it, Cocoa; you're being a real dingle!" She looked confused.

"What's that?"

"A really bad person," Panda said. "You're being mean."

"Ice bear is not amused."

"That's fine," Cocoa said, keeping her guard up. "I don't need bear friends anyway, get me out of here Charlie." He tensed up, feeling bad that this new encounter didn't go as planned.

"I'm sorry about that," He said, watching Cocoa walk out the door. "I wish it could've gone better."

"Dude, whatever," Panda said, sitting down, looking at his phone again. "We don't need her negativity."

"No respect from Ice bear." He sat next to him while Grizz finally put in the _Black bear_ DVD.

"That's right," He said. "She needs to learn some manners."

Cocoa felt ashamed of what went down at the cave, she often beat herself up for being too abrasive and harsh. She couldn't help it; it was all she's ever known. Deep down, she longed to open up more and accept that nothing was out to get her; there were so many forest inhabitants that cared for her. She desperately wanted to give friendship a try, but didn't know how. She sobbed quietly, not wanting anyone to hear, since she preferred to keep her emotions inside. Charlie popped out of the bushes, scaring her again.

"Don't you ever say hello first?" Cocoa asked, feeling sad and irritated.

"Listen," Charlie said. "I know it's hard to get to know them, it was hard for me too." Cocoa listened more, feeling intrigued.

"Those bears have all these weird rules that we've never heard of!" He continued. "It's so weird, but different." Cocoa thought about her wrong doings, still feeling like it was her fault.

"I will make it up to them," She said, now feeling more cheerful. "I will show them my ways, I swear that we will all have fun together!"


	3. The drum circle

**The drum circle**

The evening was about to approach the forest, and Cocoa worked so hard to decorate the trees with a wide array of flowers and ivy. She gathered her favorite wood carvings of the bear gods she cherished so dearly - Bearún - the leader, Ursivog - the god of fire, and Daszur - the youngest bear god of wind and rain. After she sat them in their proper places around the fire she had created, everything was ready for an amazing redemption party.

"I'm sure they'll enjoy this lovely drum circle!" Cocoa said proudly, procuring her prized drum. After making some last minute adjustments, Charlie arrived hurriedly, hoping that he wasn't late.

"Hey there Cocoa!" He said, Mr. Snake around his neck. "I brought some fresh fruit."

"Excellent," Cocoa said. "Those will be great offerings to the gods." Charlie was a little put off by Cocoa's dedication to wood statues, it was all so different to him.

"How can they eat?" Charlie asked, Cocoa looked at him with confusion.

"Anyway," Charlie said. "The bears are on their way!" Cocoa's eyes brightened. Everything she did was about to come to fruition, all for the best.

"I can't wait," She said. "It might be different to them, but that's a good thing. I will show them how to embrace their bearitage!"

The bears had done nothing but sit around and play video games, it was about time they got out of the cave for some fresh air. When morning dawned in the forest, Grizz found three invitations made out of tree bark at the cave door, which he kept safely out in the open kitchen so he wouldn't forget them. Once he, Panda, and Ice bear were done with their final round of competitive playing, Grizz gathered his brothers up and handed them their invitations, which all read - _kom tu my partee . . . at 6!_

"Oh man, I can't wait to go to Cocoa's party!" Grizz said, enthusiastically as always. "It's going to be so sweet!"

"I don't know Grizz," Panda said. "Do we have to? I mean, she's kind of a dingle."

"Ice bear agrees."

"Come on guys," Grizz stopped them, giving another one of his brotherly lectures. "What did I say about judging others?"

"It's bad," Panda said. "I guess I could give her another chance."

"Ice bear is up for second chances."

"Yes!" Grizz led them onwards. "Alright gang, let's follow the signs." He pointed towards one that said - _nuw go heere_ with an arrow pointing left.

"Wow," Panda said, following his brothers. "These are really detailed."

When night fell, everyone gathered at the drum circle. The bears sat next to Charlie, who was having a wonderful time immersing himself in Cocoa's party, as well as Grizz and Ice bear, who had fun in their own ways. However, Panda tired of the event rather quickly, since he retreated to the solace of his phone very quickly. As Grizz partied hard and danced with Cocoa around the fire, Panda checked his social media and tried to find more matches on dating sites again, still mad that he kept getting rejected by countless girls.

"Ugh, maybe it's a glitch or something." He said as the screen said _0 matches._ Grizz and Ice bear alternated between dances, which was unfortunate for Panda, as he was caught with his beloved phone.

"Dude, I can see you from over here!" Grizz said, a lot more serious. "Hand over the phone, you're being rude."

"How am I being rude?" Panda asked, more assertive than usual. "This is boring, can we just go home?"

"No way, I'm having way too much fun!" Grizz exclaimed. Panda reluctantly put down his phone, pouting.

"It'll be over in a few minutes, Pan-Pan." Grizz said. "Just watch, Cocoa has a story to tell!"

She beat on her drum and everyone raced back to their places near the fire. Panda still looked miserable while everyone else tried to listen to Cocoa's story, which made him feel guilty; he tried to not think of himself for once. The atmosphere became the quietest it had ever been, which made Panda feel much better. There was just too much noise for one bear too handle. Everyone watched Cocoa with anticipation, wondering what she had to say.

"Now that we have cleansed the forest with sound," She began. "We can now make our offerings to the bear gods."

"What?" Panda asked. "Bear gods?" Ice bear shushed him, and Cocoa offered something that looked like crystals to the wooden statues.

"Dearest Bearún, Ursivog, and Daszur," She continued. "Please accept this offering and spare us mere mortal bears, help us do your bidding and preserve our bearitage forever!"

The crystals made blue fires under the statues, which was quite a sight to see. Charlie and Grizz cheered while Panda and Ice bear stared in awe, they couldn't believe what they were seeing. After the ceremony, Grizz raised his hand.

"That was the sickest show I've ever seen!" He said. "But what's a bearitage, who are these bears that caught on fire?" Cocoa almost looked sad, everything that she knew her whole life was virtually unheard of by her own kind; she couldn't process that.

"Oh," She said. "They're the bears that we all should look up to. Don't tell me you've never heard of them." All three shook their heads.

"Well," Cocoa said, feeling happy. "It's never too late to start!"

As the party died down, everyone went home and said goodbye to each other. Cocoa was pleased that she was finally getting along with her own kind, but she never thought that she could be so far removed from them; she wanted to know about _their_ bearitage.

"We'll see you next time, Cocoa." Grizz said as Ice bear waved goodbye.

Charlie had left a long time ago, feeling scared that the bright fires would attract night travelers; he just needed to hide. As Cocoa took all the decorations down and brought her statues back into the cave she now called home, she received an unexpected hug, which she was now becoming used to.

"Bye, maybe you're not such a dingle after all." She turned around to see Panda, surprisingly not on his phone for once. He ran away to catch up with his brothers, running out of breath.

"I guess not," Cocoa said, taking down some flowers. "Whatever that is."


	4. Bears night out

**Bears night out**

The bears woke up, feeling groggy after the long night at Cocoa's party. Grizz could feel the room spinning as he walked out to the living room to watch TV very quietly, since his brothers were still fast asleep. As time passed by and the shows became boring, he browsed the internet, watching the newest Nom nom video and looking outside the window, a stable feeling coming over him as he watched the sun rise.

"That was some party last night," Grizz said, drinking some soda. "We should go again."

Panda walked out of his room while Ice bear slid out of the fridge, trying to wake up. Panda sat at the table and watched Ice bear make breakfast a little slower than usual, but even he was affected by the craziness of Cocoa's party, wanting to see those interesting statues with the ominous blue glow just one more time.

"Bearitage . . . " Ice bear muttered, stirring a large pot.

"Oh yeah," Panda said, remembering Cocoa's speech. "What did she mean by that?" Grizz walked over to the table, caring more about the food.

"Oh, that!" He remembered. "I couldn't find anything on the internet about it at all. I'm sure it was just a story."

"Ice bear loves stories."

"Well," Panda said, digging into his vegetarian omelet. "I hope there's nothing scary about it."

On the same morning, Cocoa woke up in her dark cave, saying good morning to Bearún, Ursivog, and Daszur once again - the only high beings that existed in her sheltered mind. She looked up at the tall, yet ornate wood carvings and bowed, showing her appreciation for a wonderful night.

"Thank you for the bears friendship," She began. "Thank you for bringing me out of my shell. For all that you've done, I'm grateful."

Suddenly, Cocoa got an idea. She had fun throwing a party for the bears, but now it was her turn to learn about what they liked. Today, she would go and discover what made them happy; how they even survived. It was hard for her to grasp at first, but every animal was different, and she knew almost instantly when she made her home in the forest at such a young age. Daniel the deer is assertive because of losing his antler once, Rod the raccoon is introverted because he detests the day, and Winifred leads her pack of wolves with an iron fist; that was just the way of the forest. Now, Cocoa wondered if the bears functioned that way at all, they seemed like they were different, as brothers are, but they acted like it wasn't a problem. Most animals would have avoided each other if they had nothing in common, but those three stayed together.

It was sort of uncomfortably domesticated and sweet for her liking.

"Don't be so judgmental," Cocoa said to herself. "Loosen up, anything they do must be a ton of fun!" She walked out of the cave and headed towards the cave, the leftover signs from the party pointing her in the right direction.

"Onward, forest queen!" Cocoa exclaimed. "Today is a new day!"

When Cocoa arrived at the cave, the bears were very excited, scrambling about trying to decide what to do that day. Grizz was exuberant as always, making the plans for every day while Panda and Ice bear listened. There were plenty of good movies coming out lately, which excited him. Cocoa had already shown them a good time, but now it was their turn; it would all be a surprise.

"Everyone stack!" He said. "It's party time!."

"She can't stack with us," Panda said. "It only fits three bears." Cocoa looked confused, never fully understanding their human-like jargon.

"We'll make it work," Grizz said, walking out the door and getting the bear stack together. "I'm sure it can hold one more."

"Ice bear will hold Cocoa."

She listened and got on top of him while the others stacked on her in their usual form. Cocoa found this form of transportation very strange, but after getting used to it, she felt like she belonged. She felt closer to the bears than ever. If Cocoa had her own way, she would never leave this glorious stack. After leaving the forest, the bears made their way towards the place that Cocoa feared the most, the different kind of forest that harbored loud noises, bright lights, and slabs of concrete - the outside world.

"No!" Cocoa said, covering Ice bear's eyes and throwing him off course. "We can't go out there, we'll be spotted! Those unkind humans will take us away."

"Chill out," Grizz said. "We go to the city all the time."

"No one is bothered by your existence?" Cocoa asked.

"Of course not," Grizz said. "Humans are really nice, you'll love them."

"We should get going," Panda said. "I need to get the latest issue of the _Pretty Princess Suzume_ manga." He was a strange bear, but that was how Cocoa liked it.

"Okay," She said, taking a deep breath. "I will conquer this fear. Wherever you take me must be interesting; I'm sure of it."

"Yes!" Grizz exclaimed. "Alright gang, the party continues!"

They made it to the city, which was what Cocoa imagined to be San Francisco. She knew for sure that it was, since her eyes immediately turned to the fancy golden bridge and bustling buggy-looking metal machines with circles on the bottom. There were big buildings and an abundance of humans, always in a hurry and never stopping to talk to one another. Seeing all this made Cocoa realize how much she missed the quiet forest, the home that provided everything she needed for as long as she could remember, but the experience made her feel one-sided; she desperately wanted to get out of her nature-centric bubble.

Suddenly, Cocoa and the bears stood in a crowd, and a big metal box rolled up towards them, which made her freeze with horror.

" _No, I don't want to be taken away!"_

She thought about what big metal boxes were like and what they stood for, her mind instantly retreating to that one rainy night of her childhood. The forest was her guardian that she wanted to rely on, keeping in the shadows of high tree branches, but the lighting persisted and crashes surrounded the atmosphere. She could remember the faint touch of a hand that disappeared before her, taken away from the humans she feared. It seemed as if she could see the events she tried to repress so much, she surrendered, all alone with no one to turn to.

 _"She's a loyal one, that was quite a fall."_

 _"Indeed. This cub is ours now, there are no others."_

 _"Put her in the back. She's a rarity, some more research will be needed."_

"Bus," Cocoa thought about her past before looking up at Panda, who talked to her. "We have to get on the bus now."

"Bus?" She asked, shaking off the bad memory. "Oh, that's what it's called."

"Yeah," Grizz said. "We're getting closer!"

The bears arrived at the movies, which Cocoa was overwhelmed by. There were so many bright lights and technology that she had never seen before, she could almost have a nervous breakdown. She walked over to the ticket counter and tried to see how it worked, feeling amazed at the automatic seating chart worked by a computer. It was all so hard to comprehend, but she was relieved that no one was bothered by her presence in the theater, as if bears were a normal thing to see.

"Cocoa!"

Panda called to her, she ran towards the bear brothers and found that they were more interested in the snacks. Panda got Cocoa some popcorn, which she was very interested in. She looked at the machine, which was popping popcorn very fast, it was almost like magic.

"How does it do that?" She asked.

"They just put some seeds in," Panda said. "And it POPS! That's why it's called popcorn." Cocoa took a bite, finding the salty taste a bit weird, but wonderfully different.

"It's great."

"Okay," Grizz said. "Time to decide on a movie, I think _Black Bear_ is in order."

"Come on Grizz," Panda said. "We've seen that, like ten times now!"

"Ice bear is bored."

A poster of two girls at a table, just chatting caught Cocoa's eye. She thought that maybe this movie would teach her the ways of humans, it would help her socialize and fit in better with her humanized kin; any kind of research would help.

"How about this one?" She asked, pointing to the poster.

"Ooh!" Panda exclaimed. "I've heard good things about that." Grizz and Ice bear looked annoyed.

"Really?" Grizz asked. "Do we really have to see _Table chicks?_ "

"It's what Cocoa wants." Panda said.

After a very insufferable hour in the theater, at least for two brothers, everyone left the theater and retreated to the city. Panda and Cocoa were still discussing the movie, which was very enjoyable. Cocoa learned so much, like how people shake hands before entering a house, how friends find the most polite ways to talk badly about one another, and how a woman spends hours in the bathroom trying to look her best, but the man is annoyed by it. It was at that point where she thanked the bear gods for making her one of them, she would have hated wearing the contraption known as 'makeup', and having to go to the weird place called a mall; but Panda seemed to enjoy it.

After picking up his new copy of _Pretty Princess Suzume_ at the mall, Cocoa couldn't help but wander off and look around. It was just like in the movie - so many small places in one big castle was how she viewed it, she was so inspired by the scenery; it was unreal.

"Time to go," Panda said. "I wish we could go to the food court, but I'm kind of broke."

"Us too." Grizz and Ice bear said. Cocoa didn't mind, she wouldn't trade this day for the world.

* * *

 **AN: Hello all, this is Rachel Barcellona/TheManMadeGodUp. I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Since spring break is upon us, I will have more time to write, so expect more chapters in the future. :-)**


	5. Cocoa and Ice

**Cocoa and Ice**

It was another day - get up, try to avoid the primal creatures, and survive. This time, Cocoa was going to embrace a more domesticated life as she went off to see the bears again. She was getting used to their way of living, even though it was extremely weird to her. However, good things never came from comfort zones. As she walked through the woods, she noticed something strange, yet so oddly familiar just standing there.

"Ice bear?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

He came to the woods for some peace, it was very noisy in the cave on Sundays, and he loved to get away, often finding time to practice the many things he could do; the things the world wasn't ready for. Cocoa was used to his silence, as she was a rather cold bear herself. She sat down and watched as he stared at the sky, just analyzing the clouds. She never knew what he was thinking, but she was sure that it was something spectacular. Ice bear's eyes were drawn to a deep gash on Cocoa's arm that never seemed to heal, his concentration not breaking, but his concern definitely amplifying.

"Oh this?" She said. "I've had it forever, it's nothing."

It was indeed something, but Cocoa never wanted to admit it. It was already hard enough to suppress the memories she longed to forget about, but it didn't help that there was something about Ice bear that seemed odd. Cocoa could look at him and the memories of her childhood would be stirred almost immediately, but she didn't know why. She was only a baby when the myriad of terrible things happened to her, but it felt like yesterday.

"Ice bear," He said, sitting down at last. "Thinks it's much more."

At last, Cocoa remembered.

* * *

The cold, icy winds of the polar ice caps was a test of strength for any bear, even if they had become used to it. During the summer, the homes of the polar bears would melt without mercy, and any sensible bear would flee with sadness.

"Hurry up! The sun is melting the ice, move faster!"

This was the situation of a lady ice bear, making her annual journey towards the forest. She wanted the best for her cub, even if it meant putting herself in potential danger. Once she arrived onto the shores of the strange forest. She looked around for some food, but instead of that, she found more than she bargained for.

"I'm so sorry! Are you new around here?" A giant grizzly bear rudely bumped into her, seeming like he was looking for food as well.

"No," Lady ice bear said, carrying her cub safely. "I'm here to find food and shelter for my son, our homes are being destroyed." The big grizzly laughed, checking to see if his cub was still sleeping.

"I can show you around," He said, "I know everything! You don't have to worry." Lady ice bear frowned, not impressed with Big grizzly's arrogance.

"Well," She said. "Maybe if you stop being king of the forest, I'll listen better."

In a little over a year, Lady ice bear and Big grizzly got along really well. They had such a happy family, so much that a new addition was added to their two sons - a daughter that they couldn't comprehend.

"What's wrong with her?" Lady ice bear said.

"I think she's deformed!" Big Grizzly exclaimed with worry.

"Oh well," Lady ice bear said, looking at their new daughter, who bore a coat of half brown and half white. "We shall love her, our little half and half."

Hunters invaded the forest, trees were chopped down and animals died for what they believed in. Big grizzly gathered the cubs and rushed Lady ice bear to safety, he knew that the winter was approaching them, and her home would soon be restored. It pained him to say goodbye, but he knew it was the right thing to do.

"Get to safety," He said, avoiding the hunters. "I'll take the others."

"But . . . "

"We'll meet again someday," Big grizzly said, taking care of his cubs. "I promise!"

As Lady ice bear sailed for the polar ice caps, cub on her back, she waved goodbye and watched as Big grizzly climbed up a tall tree still intact, carrying little half and half and her older, fully brown coated brother on his back. Even though Big grizzly made it up the tree, it was too late. The hunters had him surrounded as they aimed for the best possible shot; he was their trophy.

"Ready!" The guns were up, he was ready to make the sacrifice.

"Just remember," Big grizzly said, looking back at his cubs. "I love you."

"Fire!"

As the storm of bullets blazed on, Big grizzly was no more. He was ready to be mounted on a trophy hunter's wall soon, however, little half and half just couldn't bear the pain. As the shots fired, she pushed her brown brother, who covered himself from any harm out of the way and grabbed her dad's arm, falling from the high tree along with him. As she fell, her arm scraped against the tree, causing a painful gash. She had some more all over her body, but this one was worse than others, caused by a sharp branch.

Little half and half also made a tremendous sacrifice that night, leaving her brother scared and alone in the tree, she had no idea what would happen to him, whether he would live or die. She thought about what happened to her brother with the coat as white as snow. What would become of him, would he be dead as well because of her? She felt guilty, her mind was racing like an unstoppable bird; it was too much to handle.

It would have been better if she just forgot about everything, she thought about what to do; she tried to forget.

 _"I don't have any brothers, I never had any parents, I don't need anyone!"_

As she lay on top of her dead father, some merciful hunters stumbled upon her, mainly to claim their trophy. They soon learned that they got a little bit more that night.

"She's a loyal one, that was quite a fall." He noticed the big cut on her arm bleeding terribly.

"Indeed. This cub is ours now, there are no others."

"Put her in the back. She's a rarity, some more research will be needed."

* * *

Cocoa and Ice bear walked through the forest, looking at nature and just having a good, silent time; they liked it that way. Ice bear still looked at the sky, the clouds reminding him of icebergs and his desire to go sleep in the freezer once more, but he couldn't help but remember some things as well. He would often have dreams about the snow and how bad dogs were; fleeting memories.

"So," Cocoa said. "What are you thankful for?"

Ice bear remembered everything.

After finally making it to safety, Lady ice bear made it back to her home in the snow, but she wouldn't make it far. She was lost during her journey to find the iceberg she was so fond of, but would suffer the fate of her forefathers, the fate that plagued the ice caps for so long.

"Everyone hide! They're after us!"

She tried to flee the hunters, but they were much too clever, viciously attacking the polar bears for their fur and setting traps in the snow. Lady ice bear ran swiftly, getting away and thinking she was on her way to the iceberg, but she didn't get there in time. Once she was caught in the trap, she urged her cub to leave her behind.

"Leave," She said. "Start a new life, don't let them get you." He fled, hoping to be stronger than the next bear that fell prey to the hunter's dogs and hidden traps.

"Well?" Cocoa asked, a little impatient. "What is it?" They continued walking.

"Ice bear is thankful for . . . " They arrived at the park, and he looked at a mother and son, hugging each other. "Family."

"Oh, don't get soft on me," Cocoa said, continuing to walk. "That's Panda's job!"


End file.
